Punda Maria bridge finally reopens

Thulamela Mayor Sarah Rambuda described the officially opening of the R524 bridge along the Punda Maria road as part of progress that the municipality and SANRAL were making to promote economic activities in Thohoyandou, especially at Thavhani Mall.

“For us as Thulamela Local Municipality, this bridge means better provision of health services, better connection to various schools, shops and other facilities. The bridge will promote mobility and passenger transport,” she said.

While the bridge was under construction, commuters were forced to use the Maniini road, which delayed trips tremendously. The bridge was damaged during heavy rains early in 2021 and has been inoperative since. Construction work to rebuild the bridge started in October 2021.

Mayor Rambuda was speaking on Wednesday, 13 April during the official opening of the bridge. She was joined by SANRAL officials, councillors, and representatives of the communities.

The SANRAL project manager responsible for routes in the Vhembe and Mopani District, Mr Thabo Mahlakwana, expanded on the project to repair the bridge. “The repair of the road was done by a competent team that consisted of experienced engineers and local sub-contractors. The project had a seven-month construction period, of which the contractor managed to finish the work on time and within the budget, not forgetting to mention the good quality work,” he said.

Mahlakwana said that the contract value was R17,9 million. Four local companies formed part of the project team.

One of the affected business owners, Thuso Mmbadi, could not hide his excitement about the prospect that the road will now be open for traffic once more. Mmbadi owns the Engen garage near the junction of Maniini and Thohoyandou Block G. He believed that business will now return to normal.

Date:15 April 2022

By: Silas Nduvheni

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